British Royalty and Anglo-American Relations

Once a symbol of tyranny and rebellion, the British Crown has become an enduring and often influential feature of Anglo-American political and cultural life. Across more than two centuries, royalty has shaped transatlantic understandings of identity, democracy, diplomacy, memory, and the evolving relationship between Britain and the United States.

Bringing into dialogue the work of historians, political scientists, and media scholars, British Royalty and Anglo-American Relations traces the monarchy’s changing role within transatlantic culture and diplomacy. Chapters examine the Crown’s influence on early American ideas about executive authority; the coexistence of Anglophobia and cultural intimacy in the nineteenth century; the role of royal visits, ritual, and collective memory in fostering rapprochement; and the ways race, empire, celebrity, and modern media – from news coverage to Netflix dramas – have shaped royal meaning on both sides of the Atlantic. Together, the contributors demonstrate how monarchy has operated not merely as a constitutional institution, but as a form of soft power capable of shaping perceptions, relationships, and political imagination across borders.

In an era when the subtle dynamics of influence are more critical than ever, and amid renewed debates over monarchy, memory, and transatlantic identity, British Royalty and Anglo-American Relations offers new perspectives on the cultural and symbolic dimensions of power and transatlantic relations.